Sowing rather than drilling?

[farmideas]

Do we have a seed drill mindset?

Some years ago Clive Bailye arranged a trial of 10 or so different direct drills on a level uniform 50 acre field. There was a spare plot which they seeded with a fertiliser spinner and then scratched over the surface. It performed far better than expected.

John Hawkins has been an enthusiast of spinning rather than drilling, and has developed a system to get an even spread seed by double sowing half the seeds at 24 metres. He was demonstrating at this year's Groundswell. Not that he had anything to sell, other than his experience and the set-up, and the way it sowed into a crop of green oats.

We feature his methods in the current issue 32 - 2 of www.farmideas.co.uk (pgs 5,6 and 7). John thinks farmers can get fixated on putting all their seeds down the spout when the spinner would do just as good a job at much less expense. A wet season like 2023 lends itself to sowing rather seeding, even sowing into the green.

I'd be very interested in reading comments, and maybe your experience of doing the same.

 

[davidroberts30]

@Andy26

 

[Flatlander]

In a wet year here in western Canada tens of thousands of acres of canola would be sown with a pneumatic spreader and harrowed in. I’ve done it a few times in the past and if the weather remains on the wetter side it gets a crop going when a drill is parked up waiting. In our phosphate short soils not having it placed with the seed will have a negative effect. Never heard of cereals being done the same way but what leaves the back of the combine seems to grow ok.

 

[bobk]

Do we have a seed drill mindset?

Some years ago Clive Bailye arranged a trial of 10 or so different direct drills on a level uniform 50 acre field. There was a spare plot which they seeded with a fertiliser spinner and then scratched over the surface. It performed far better than expected.

John Hawkins has been an enthusiast of spinning rather than drilling, and has developed a system to get an even spread seed by double sowing half the seeds at 24 metres. He was demonstrating at this year's Groundswell. Not that he had anything to sell, other than his experience and the set-up, and the way it sowed into a crop of green oats.

We feature his methods in the current issue 32 - 2 of www.farmideas.co.uk (pgs 5,6 and 7). John thinks farmers can get fixated on putting all their seeds down the spout when the spinner would do just as good a job at much less expense. A wet season like 2023 lends itself to sowing rather seeding, even sowing into the green.

I'd be very interested in reading comments, and maybe your experience of doing the same.View attachment 1144153

Hardly getting scratched in , saying that we've spun hundreds of acres , mainly out of desperation

 

[Bury the Trash]

and when does he spread the slug pellets on that lot?

dressing it up to look clever/ more trendily exceptable?

Its broadcasting seed .which yes i understand doesnt sound so clever or
for a simple one man system all it needs is another smaller tractor with the spinner left on and spread a field or an area at a time then work that seed in with the other outfit. like weve always done every now and then and mixed in with drilling as well.

One pass can get overly complicated. everything doesn't have to be one pass,no it doesnt.

 

[farmideas]

Thanks for the comments which are really useful. Bury's remark that one pass can get overly complicated is v true. I also wonder about the desire to have the drilled field looking as if notheng has occured. The invisible slot seems to be a a target in itself, when in reality the goal must be a strong stand of cropleading to a successful harvest. The chances of more run-off are likely to be increased if teh surface is smooth and unbroken - all things which need investigation

 

[Yapter]

Cover crop broadcast on by an autocaster attached to the back of the combine header

 

[Sprayer 1]

What do folks use to scratch the seed in? Would a set of chain grass harrows do the job?
?

 

[bobk]

What do folks use to scratch the seed in? Would a set of chain grass harrows do the job?
?

Zig zags will , done 1000's of acres when we were skint of tackle

 

[serf]

 

[Yapter]

What do folks use to scratch the seed in? Would a set of chain grass harrows do the job?
?

Depends on how much crop residue is present. Chain harrows work where stuff is still firmly rooted or chopped really fine. Longer loose debris tends to be collected and rolled up into sausage shaped bundles with the chain harrows either rolling themselves up or not really working the soil. When we autocast we find Cambridge rolling is worth doing. We have also tried a mounted stubble rake which works very well

 

[alomy75]

Thanks for the comments which are really useful. Bury's remark that one pass can get overly complicated is v true. I also wonder about the desire to have the drilled field looking as if notheng has occured. The invisible slot seems to be a a target in itself, when in reality the goal must be a strong stand of cropleading to a successful harvest. The chances of more run-off are likely to be increased if teh surface is smooth and unbroken - all things which need investigation

Grassweeds. The invisible slot is essential as it means you haven’t disturbed the soil (and encouraged grassweeds to grow). Spinning is very low disturbance but with the seed so shallow; a decent pre-em would wipe the cereal plants out. Plus illegal with seed treatment.

 

[tw15]

W Beans here have been spun on and cultivated in about 4 inches deep and rolled when the last frost helped with traveling pre em to go on when it drys up a bit one or two beans on top but did increase the seed rate as they will either get eaten by pigeons or pre em might take them out .
I will some pictures and post latter in the week .

 

[RCW Farm Services]

W Beans here have been spun on and cultivated in about 4 inches deep and rolled when the last frost helped with traveling pre em to go on when it drys up a bit one or two beans on top but did increase the seed rate as they will either get eaten by pigeons or pre em might take them out .
I will some pictures and post latter in the week .

How are you getting on with your beans?